Grammatical function

**coolpro** · 22-Sep-2011, 19:47

"[[They] [[shot] [him] [in [what appears to be] a gangland killing.]]]".

What is the grammatical function of the clause "what appears to be"?

**coolpro** · 23-Sep-2011, 00:42

Anyone? :)

**Bennevis** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:18

"what appears to be a gangland killing" - complex prepositional object

**5jj** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:23

Originally Posted by Bennevis

"what appears to be a gangland killing" - complex indirect object

My understanding of 'complex indirect object' is that it is simply an expanded indirect object, as in

I gave the student with the highest overall marks a special prize.

I am not sure what terminology would be appropriate for "what appears to be a gangland killing", but I am pretty sure it is nothing to do with indirect objects.

**Bennevis** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:41

I didn't see your post. I'd realized that since there is a preposition before the part in question, it must be a complex prepositional object.

**coolpro** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:42

Originally Posted by Bennevis

"what appears to be a gangland killing" - complex indirect object

what appears to be a gangland killing is not even a syntactic constituent. It doesn't have a function. in what appears to be a gangland killing is and does have though.

It sounds like in what appears to be a gangland killing is an adjunct that modifies the verb shot and we have an independent clause what appears to be stepped in to the adjunct.

**Bennevis** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:45

What do you need this for? Are you writing a program?

**coolpro** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:46

Originally Posted by Bennevis

What do you need this for? Are you writing a program?

I'm not writing a program.

**Bennevis** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:47

Originally Posted by coolpro

what appears to be a gangland killing is not even a syntactic constituent. It doesn't have a function. in what appears to be a gangland killing is and does have though.

It sounds like in what appears to be a gangland killing is an adjunct that modifies the verb shot and we have an independent clause what appears to be stepped in to the adjunct.

Yes, sure, "in" should be counted.

**Bennevis** · 23-Sep-2011, 01:48

Originally Posted by coolpro

I'm not writing a program.

You don't speak Russian, do you?

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